Stockholm, Sweden

To get from Copenhagen to Stockholm we took a 4-hour train.

Then a 1-hour bus.

Then another 1-hour train.

We stayed in a really nice hostel, that was really conveniently located at the end of one of the main streets of down town. Adam and I headed out to explore the town a little, looking for outdoor things to do the next day which would be Easter Sunday, which meant everything would be closed. One of the things that we noticed, was just how many 7-Elevens there are in Scandinavia, they're everywhere. I have actually never been to a 7-Eleven in the States, and now I've been to about two hundred in Sweden and Denmark.

It turns out we were wrong. Lots of things were open on Easter Sunday. Adam and I found a pretty amazing place to eat. It was called the Kungshallen and it's basically a really awesome mall-food-court, but without a mall. There were tons of restaurants inside and you could get whatever you would like and then sit in a giant cafeteria-style room. We ate there a lot.

We walked around Downtown Stockholm and also the Oldtown. 

(Stockholm Downtown)

(Entrance to Oldtown)

(These were pretty cool, they're air and 

water pollution meters.

They light up and show how dirty everything is)

One of the fun things we learned about was the Tomte. They're these little troll-like creatures that live on farmsteads in Sweden. Around Christmas time you're supposed to leave food out for them. If you do then your farm will go on being prosperous and safe. If you don't or if they don't like the food, then they harass you and your farm. They're also creepy as hell.

(Adam wouldn't get close to it)

Sunday night I met up with a girl from Stockholm who did a year at my High School, Mikaela. She took me to one of her favorite coffee shops and we sat and talked about all of the people we used to know in High School. I hadn't realized that it's been five years since I saw her last. Time is certainly moving quickly. After coffee she took me on a VIP tour of Stockholm, pointing out venues where she sang with various choirs growing up. Important buildings, interesting sites. It was really cool to get to see the city where she grew up, it made it feel less like I was just traveling to see the big attractions, but that I was also getting a taste of what life for normal people is like there.

(Mikaela and me)

Monday, Adam and I headed to an island that is famous for its various museums. Adam went to the Vasa Museum which holds the remains of a famous boat. I guess it sank in the harbor from which it was launched, which to me would suggest that it's not that great of a boat. The real marvel was how well preserved it is, because the water isn't quite as salty as most salt water, so the wood was able to survive.

I chose to go to the Skansen Park, which is basically the Greenfield Village of Sweden. They have some original farmsteads, blacksmiths, glassblowers, potters, everything. They even have a collection of Animals that are native to Scandinavia.  My favorite was of course the Seal. It was pretty cool to walk around and see what it might have looked like way back when.

(A windmill in Skansen)

(Seal nap)

In the afternoon, we met up with Cassie who had just arrived to Stockholm and was planning on staying for a while. We got ice cream and then I headed off to find a Barber to get my hair cut. Unfortunately the day after Easter is considered yet another Holiday in Sweden, so nothing was open.

Adam and I met up at Kungshallen for dinner, and then headed back to the Hostel. Earlier in the afternoon we'd made reservations at the Absolut Ice Bar in the Nordic Sea Hotel. For those of you who don't know what an Ice Bar is, it's basically exactly what it sounds like. It's kept below freezing and everything inside is made of ice: the walls, the bar, the furniture and of course the glasses.

In order to be allowed in, you have to put on what looks like a boxer's robe, with mittens attached. Adam and I stayed for a drink, which was long enough to experience the chill without catching one. We then headed back to the hostel for our last night in Sweden.

The next morning we woke up and packed. We said goodbye to downtown Stockholm and headed to the airport to fly back to Germany.